Shel Silverstein Trivia

1. The little boy gathers her leaves and makes ________ out of them to play "king of the forest."

From Quiz The Giving Tree

Answer: crowns

The first thing we hear about the tree giving the little boy is her leaves. He'll collect them "and make them into crowns and play king of the forest." The page before, when it says "and he would gather her leaves," the words are imitating the falling of the leaves. There is one word on each line, keeping the young children reading this book interested.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Answer: "toe...knee...thigh...middle...neck...head"

"Oh no!... Oh gee!... Oh my!... Oh fiddle!... Oh heck!... Oh dread!..." The "Boa Constrictor" Song is hugely popular among the pre-school set.

From Quiz A Light in the Attic

Answer: knees

"Someone went and stole my knees." It would be pretty difficult to run after the thieves if your legs were not connected.

From Quiz Where the Sidewalk Ends

Answer: Ursula

You can find the answer on the first page. It is in the balloon.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein Fanology

Answer: 1974

This was Shel's first published collection of poems and drawings.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's Poems

Answer: eat her food

Here's the text of "Ridiculous Rose". It appeared in Shel Silverstein's 1974 book "Where the Sidewalk Ends". "Her mama said, 'Don't eat with your fingers.' 'OK,' said Ridiculous Rose, So she ate with her toes!" However, one does wonder what food was Rose eating. Was it something like an apple, which would be reasonable to eat with one's fingers or was it something like mashed potatoes, which may be messy when eating with one's fingers? In either case, Rose's mom might be disappointed even if Rose followed her instructions (maybe a bit too literally).

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Answer: ptomaine

In the end, Peggy Ann was feeling much better, because as it turned out, it was Saturday!

From Quiz A Light in the Attic

Answer: Picture Puzzle Piece

This poem is about an abandoned puzzle piece that has many possiblities. It could be part of a coat, part of an apple, or even part of a small part of hair from Bobo the Bear.

From Quiz Where the Sidewalk Ends

Answer: witch

She danced with the witch. Sandra saw the leprechaun, Eddie touched the troll, and Donald heard the mermaid sing.

From Quiz "Falling Up" by Shel Silverstein

Answer: wet the bed

Shel Silverstein wrote the music for "The Unicorn Song". He also wrote "Boy Named Sue" and "The Cover of the Rollin' Stone".

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's Poems

Answer: his shoulder became a shelf for the V.C.R.

"Jimmy Jet And His T.V. Set" appeared in the 1974 collection "Where the Sidewalk Ends". These are the relevant verses of the poem: "He watched till his eyes were frozen wide, And his bottom grew into his chair. And his chin turned into a tuning dial, And antennae grew out of his hair. And his brains turned into TV tubes, And his face to a TV screen." The poem concludes with the family watching Jimmy like a television since he has grown a plug-like tail and can be "plugged in". Were Shel Silverstein alive in the 21st century (he died in 1999), he may very well have had Jimmy turn into a smart phone or cellphone since many people find themselves staring at those "screens" for hours on end.

From Quiz The Giving Tree

Answer: M.E. + T.

The boy loved the tree very much. On the previous page we see them hugging each other. "The boy loved the tree... very much." And that is when he engraves the heart into the base of the tree's trunk.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Answer: in the swamp lands

After 16 years, the Yipiyuk, having bitten the author, still has not let go of his toe, (which is why he "walks so slow!")

From Quiz Where the Sidewalk Ends

Answer: bottom

They made the whole boat and forgot to put the bottom, I guess they didn't get very far with a bottomless boat.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein Fanology

Answer: Lafcadio

"Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back" was first published in 1963, and wwritten by the late Shel Silverstein.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's Poems

Answer: not getting a pony

"Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony" appeared in the 1981 book "A Light in the Attic". Here are the relevant lines: "And Abigail felt so bad That when she got home she went to bed, And she couldn't eat, And she couldn't sleep, And her heart was broken, And she DID die- All because of a pony That her parents wouldn't buy." What to say about this poem? I suppose Abigail proved her point that not getting the pony would lead to her dying of a broken heart This seems like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. I think I'd rather be alive even if I didn't have the pony. In the poem, Abigail's parent's offer to get her a butter pecan ice cream cone instead of the pony. According to YouGov Omnibus, butter pecan is the third most popular (11%) ice cream flavor, after chocolate and vanilla.

From Quiz The Giving Tree

Answer: M.E. + Y.L.

During this scene we see two pairs of legs sitting behind the tree: the boy's legs and a female's legs. Things are changing for the boy, but not for the tree. The only thing new for the tree is that now she is lonely.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Answer: twelve

Upon hearing that the Dentist had twelve more to pull, the Crocodile ate him. "What's one Dentist, more or less?", Silverstein asks.

From Quiz A Light in the Attic

Answer: 34

She did a really fancy dive and at the end she realized that there was no water in the pool.

From Quiz Where the Sidewalk Ends

Answer: head

I loved this poem, I thought how funny it would be to lose your head.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein Fanology

Answer: Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash and Shel Silverstein were both born in the same year.

From Quiz "Falling Up" by Shel Silverstein

Answer: the drummer

Shel Silverstein died on May 10, 1999 from a heart attack.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's Poems

Answer: A crying and spying young sister

"A Sister For Sale" appeared in "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1974). The important lines of the poem are as follows: "One sister for sale! One sister for sale! One crying and spying young sister for sale!" If he is really trying to get rid of his sister, the narrator is not too bright, describing his sister as "crying and spying". It's no wonder that he can not unload her for any price from a dollar to a cent. If, however, he is simply trying to scare his sister, he does accomplish that. Shel Silverstein's illustration that accompanies the poem is particularly poignant. Sitting on a platform behind the brother is the significantly younger sister. While the angle and her mass of hair prevents us from seeing much of her face, we can see a (genuine) tear trickling down.

From Quiz The Giving Tree

Answer: her apples

When the boy comes back, the tree tells the boy to climb her trunk and swing from her branches and be happy, just like it used to be. But the boy says that he is too big, and that he wants to "buy things and have fun." He wants money, he informs the tree. The tree tells the boy she has no money, but she has apples the boy could sell for money. So the boy collects the apples and carries them away, and "the tree was happy," even though there was nothing in this little exchange for her.

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Answer: eating with her fingers

Rose obeyed her Mama right away, which is good, considering how short this poem is. She switched to eating with her toes.

From Quiz A Light in the Attic

Answer: 3

So much for it being a homework machine, it is actually a little kid inside answering the questions.

From Quiz Where the Sidewalk Ends

Answer: five pennies

His dad gave him a dollar and he traded it for two quarters. Then he traded them for three dimes. Then he traded those for four nickels. And, finally he traded the nickels for the five pennies.

From Quiz "Falling Up" by Shel Silverstein

Answer: Pete

Shel Silverstein once said "he was glad that he wasn't familiar with other poets when he began to write, because this helped him find his own style of writing."

From Quiz Shel Silverstein's Poems

Answer: I love you

"Deaf Donald" appeared in "A Light in the Attic" (1981). Interestingly, the illustration of Donald making the signs for "I", "love", and "you" are built into the body of the poem. The relevant lines are these: "And she left for ever so she never knew That [pictures here] means I love you." This is another bittersweet poem. Sue seems to also have feelings for Donald at the start of the poem. She doesn't necessarily lose those feelings but decides that he wasn't interested. How well does she know him, though, if she doesn't realize he uses sign language. I wonder how many children who read the poem realized that his gestures meant "I love you" before the end of the poem.

From Quiz The Giving Tree

Answer: A house

He comes back again, and once again declines the tree's offer to climb her trunk and swing from her branches. He tells her he now wants a wife and children, and a house to keep him warm. So the tree says that he can take her branches and build a house. So he does, and the tree was happy.

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Last Updated May 24 2025 5:48 AM

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